Biters
by Drying Paint
Summary: It should have been titled 'Not Another Teen Story', but I decided against it. The girls are sixteen and are going to high school. But will high school tear them apart?
1. The First Day of School

_**Disclaimer:**__ I do not own anything affiliated with PPG. PPG is owned by Cartoon Network. I do however own this story and would very much appreciate it if it no one plagiarised it. Thank-you._

_A/N -This is my first PPG fanfic and, yes, it is based in a high school. How original, right? Well hopefully I can bring something different to it. It's a bit of a cross of PPG and PPGZ, as in, the girls have fingers and toes and normal eyes in comparison with everyone else. It's also set when the girls are sixteen._

**XxXxXxX**

**Chapter One**

Professor Utonium stood at the kitchen counter, staring blankly out of the kitchen window. The day had finally come for his baby girls to go to high school. He had always dreaded this day, but now that it was here all he felt was numbing apprehension.

"Are you alright, Professor?"

He started and spun around to see Blossom watching him from the table, her pink eyes filled with concern. Bubbles and Buttercup sat beside her, eating their cereal quietly. They had all grown into beautiful young women. Blossom was the tallest of the girls and her long red hair was always kept neat and proper. Bubbles was the shortest and her blonde hair had grown to elbows-length. Buttercup had kept her dark hair short and spiky and was the only one of the girls who refused to wear make-up. 

"I'm fine, Blossom," he said, trying not to choke up as he smiled. "I'm just... so proud of you girls."

"Aw, Professor," Bubbles cooed, standing up and rushing over to give her father a tight hug. "It's only high school. No big deal."

"Right, right," he said, returning the hug and closing his eyes to prevent the tears from escaping them. "It's no big deal."

There was a moment where no one moved. Bubbles and the Professor hugged, Blossom watched with a gentle smile playing upon her lips, and Buttercup ate her cereal unaware of what was going on around her due to the music blasting into her ears.

When the Professor finally released Bubbles a few tears had escaped from his eyes. "Well, you girls better get going. You don't want to be late to your first day."

"Right," Blossom said, picking up her bag and nudging Buttercup, who also stood up with her bag.

"We'll see you this afternoon, Professor," Bubbles said, slinging her own bright blue bag over her shoulder as she followed her sisters out of the door.

**XxXxXxX**

As the high school they were attending was a couple of cities away from Townsville, they had to fly. Blossom couldn't keep the smile off her face. She was still the nerdy one of the girls and her clothes reflected it. She was wearing a white shirt under a pink jumper with skinny jeans. Bubbles flew close beside her, wearing a light blue sleeveless shirt and a denim skirt that ended just above her knees. Behind them flew Buttercup, still listening to her music, wearing baggy black trousers and a loose green jersey.

They landed a block away from the doors of the school and started to walk. They had agreed to walk to school after their first day of middle school, where several of the students had panic attacks from seeing girls flying towards the building at an alarming rate. After all, they didn't want everyone knowing that they had powers.

"Aren't you girls so excited?" Blossom asked, hugging her backpack to her chest as she walked towards the large brick building in front of them.

"I'm nervous," Bubbles said, grinning widely and bouncing on her toes. "This is the first time we're not going to be in the same classes as each other. It'll be scary."

"Whatever," Buttercup said dismissively. "It's just school."

"What do you guys have first?" Blossom asked. "I have chemistry."

"Art," Bubbles chirped.

"Gym," Buttercup muttered.

They got to the school doors and halted. "So I guess we'll meet up at lunch break?" Blossom asked.

"Sounds good to me," Bubbles said. "See you later!"

"Whatever," Buttercup said.

They turned and all took a different hallway, heading towards their respective classes.

**XxXxXxX**

Blossom walked into class and was shocked to find that it was empty. A middle aged woman sat at the front of the room, marking papers with a creased brow.

"Am I in the right room?" Blossom asked.

The woman jumped and looked up. "Oh, oh yes you are. Please take a seat. I'm Mrs. Havimshaw and I'm the chemistry teacher. And you are...?"

"Blossom Utonium," Blossom said, placing her books down at the table at the front.

"The other students should be here shortly, they usually don't arrive until the tardy bell," Mrs. Havimshaw said.

Blossom felt herself flush. She knew she was nerdy, but didn't think that she would be the only student to arrive early to class. She opened her books and began to look at the work she would be covering that semester.

After only a few minutes the tardy bell rung and a flow of students entered the class. A few girls looked Blossom up and down, scrutinizing her clothes and hair before turning away and giggling. Blossom felt herself flush again. A couple of guys also looked her up and down before snickering and punching each other on the arm. 

'_Oh God, I feel like such a freak,' _she thought, lowering her head to stare at her book.

The last person into the class was a tall red haired guy wearing a baseball cap backwards. He looked around the room and sneered when she saw that the only available seat was next to Blossom. He collapsed into the chair and put his books onto the table.

"Welcome class to your first year of senior chemistry," Mrs. Havimshaw said theatrically, standing and holding her arms out wide. "I hope you're all as passionate about this fascinating science as I am."

She continued to give her introductory speech to the subject. Blossom listened intently until a paper ball hit the side of her head. She scowled and picked it up, looking to the boy beside her. He was taking notes lazily in his book, looking as though he would rather be sleeping than listen to the teacher, but the slight twitch of his lips told her that he was indeed the culprit.

She opened the paper ball and saw that it was a note.

'_What the hell do you think you're wearing?'_

She felt her face go completely red. She quickly picked up a pen scrawled a response.

'_Who the_ hell_ do you think you are?'_

She crumpled it again and was about to throw it at the boy's head when the teacher cleared her throat. "Ms. Utonium, we throw our rubbish in the bins, not at fellow classmates."

The boy snickered and leant back in his chair and Blossom stood and placed the note into the bin. "Sorry, ma'am," she muttered, wishing that she had the power of invisibility.

**XxXxXxX**

Bubbles looked around the art room in amazement. It was twice the size of the one at her last school and the equipment looked brand new. The class had a relaxed atmosphere and the students worked individually while the teacher drank coffee at his desk. Bubbles herself was doing some rough sketches of animals in her workbook, but kept getting distracted by everything in the room.

"It's hard work, ain't it?" said a soft voice beside her.

She looked to see a blonde boy smiling at her. He had large blue eyes and messy blonde hair which parted in the centre.

"Huh?" she asked, not understanding his question.

He took a seat across the table at her and folded his arms on the table. "Staying focused, it's hard work."

"Oh, yeah," Bubbles giggled. "Usually nothing distracts me from my drawing, but today's just so exciting."

"You like school?" the boy asked, raising an eyebrow.

"My sister does," she said truthfully. "But that's just because she's really smart. My other sister hates school because she gets bad grades."

"And what about you?" the boy asked, smiling again and showing the metal braces that lined his teeth.

"Well... I like the arts classes, but the academic ones are a bit too hard," she said.

"I hate school," he admitted, grinning again. "But that's probably because I'm the dumb one."

"You shouldn't call yourself dumb," Bubbles said. "Intellectually challenged is a nicer way of saying it."

The boy laughed. "You're funny," he said. "And nice."

"Well it's what my sisters call me," she said, giggling.

The boy nodded and looked down to his hands. "We have a lot in common," he said. "Maybe sometime we could-"

"Less chatter more splatter," the teacher suddenly called out, interrupting the boy. "This is an art class, not a social gathering."

The boy grinned again, and Bubbles saw a red flush begin to creep up his neck. "I'll see you around... uh..."

"Bubbles," she said.

"Bubbles," he repeated before turning and walking back to his artwork.

**XxXxXxX**

Buttercup hated having to restrain herself while using gym equipment at school. Normally she would have had all of the weights on, but the Professor had warned her against it.

"If you really want to make friends you have to take it back a notch," he had told her the previous night. "It's not that there's anything wrong with being strong, it's just that some people find it intimidating."

'_Intimidating my ass,'_ she thought as she lifted the bench-press bar for the umpteenth time without feeling any strain whatsoever. _'I'm just downright scary.'_

She eventually grew bored of just lifting the bar effortlessly, and stood up.

'_Great, I haven't even broken a sweat,'_ she thought, looking for something else to do.

In the far corner a group of guys were cheering and hooting. She walked over to them and saw that an arm wrestle was taking place. One of the competitors was a large jock with spiked brown hair, and the other was a thin kid with messy black hair and green eyes. The jock was growling and grunting as he tried to shift the skinny kid's arm which didn't budge at all.

"Come on, Trent, give it up," the kid yawned, not seeming to make any effort at all in the arm wrestle. "I never lose!"

Trent didn't seem to pay attention to the slander, but did seem to add extra effort into the push. Veins stood out on his forehead and neck as he slowly turned red.

"Aw, come on, mate," a tall kid next to Buttercup yelled. "Put him out of his misery!"

"Okey-dokey," the skinny kid said. With what seemed like an effortless push, he lowered Trent's arm to the other side of the table.

Trent stood up, painting and ashamed, and scurried away quickly. The skinny kid stood and raised his hands high above his head. "Will no one else take on the undefeated champion?" he asked mockingly, as the crowd of guys cheered.

"I will," Buttercup said, crossing her arms and stepping towards the kid.

"Ooh, a female contender," he laughed, and the guys laughed with him. "Are you sure? I wouldn't want you to break a nail."

"I wouldn't want to break your face," she spat back, taking a seat across from the table and putting her right arm on the table. "Just verse me before I get bored."

"Alrighty then," the kid laughed, placing his hand in hers and grinning mockingly. "Just don't cry to mummy when you lose."

"We start at three," she said. "One..."

"Two..." he said, tightening his hand around hers.

"Three!" they both cried together. She felt him push hard against her hand, and returned the push with equal measure. He was strong, she'd give him that.

"Is that all you've got?" she asked in the same mocking tone that he had given her.

"Oh, we're just getting started," he replied.

She felt him push harder, but she kept her hand steady. He was stronger than any other guy she'd ever arm wrestled before. Still, he wouldn't have the pleasure of victory today. She decided to give it her all and pushed with all of her strength against his hand. To her surprise, his arm didn't collapse. Instead, she felt him pushing hard against her. Their hands began to shake as they added more force to the push.

"You're strong, I'll give you that," he said through gritted teeth. "But I'll be darned if you beat me today."

The crowd of guys around them had fallen into a shocked silence. They obviously had never seen their idle put so much effort into an arm wrestle before, let alone an arm wrestle against a girl. Their silence however had attracted the attention of the other girls in gym class who wandered over to watch with amazement.

Buttercup could feel her strength wearing out, even if she didn't want to admit it. This kid was way stronger than she could have imagined.

"Getting tired?" he teased, though a layer of sweat had broken out on his forehead.

"Hardly," she lied, but she knew that he could tell.

They sat like that for a few more minutes, until finally she felt her arm give way. He slammed her arm against to table, and the guys in the crowd cheered. She sat there, hating herself, as he took his hand away and raised it above his head.

"The still undefeated champion!" he declared to another cheer.

Buttercup felt one of the girls pat her on the shoulder and tell her that it was alright. Slowly she rose to her feet and wandered to the other side of the gym, only looking back once to catch eyes with the kid who had spoiled her reputation forever.

**XxXxXxX**

_A/N – I know, I know. It's pretty obvious who these mysterious guys are. If you haven't figured it out by now then you aren't very familiar with the show or the fandom. Oh well, don't feel bad._


	2. When a Bad Day Gets Worse

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything affiliated with PPG. PPG is owned by Cartoon Network. I do however own this story and would very much appreciate it if it no one plagiarised it. Thank-you._

**XxXxXxX**

**Chapter Two**

Bubbles walked with a skip in her step towards the cafeteria. She spotted her sisters sitting across the room and hurried over. She placed her lunchbox onto the table and took a seat between them, beaming from ear to ear.

"Isn't high school just so much fun?" she asked.

Her sisters didn't respond and she looked at them questioningly. Blossom was the first to talk. "I had to sit next to the most arrogant guy in the world all morning," she said. "He kept throwing these horrible notes at me and I couldn't do anything about it!"

"I got beaten in an arm wrestle by a total dick," Buttercup grunted, clenching her hands into fists. "Now everyone'll think I'm a weakling!"

Bubbles suddenly felt guilty for having such a fun morning. She opened her lunchbox and pulled out a sandwich, chewing it silently as her sisters brooded. After a while the silence became unbearable for her. "So... what do you guys have next?" she asked timidly.

"Oh, uh... history and physics," Blossom said, checking her timetable.

"Shop and English," Buttercup said shortly. "What about you?"

"Drama and hospitality," Bubbles said.

"Drama? But you can't act," Buttercup said.

"Yeah, well... English? But you can't... speak it," Bubbles said, her face going red as she realised what she had said. She wasn't exactly the best person for making up come-backs on the spot.

Buttercup and Blossom exchanged a glance before bursting out into laughter. Bubbles felt her cheeks burn as she sank lower into her chair. They always did this.

"Thanks, Bubbles," Blossom said when she had calmed down. "You always know how to cheer us up."

"No problem," Bubbles said, putting on a fake smile. So she had made them feel better at her own expense, nothing new there. 

The bell signalling the start of the next lesson rang and the girls stood up. "We'll meet at the place we landed?" Blossom asked.

"Sure thing," Bubbles said.

"Whatever," Buttercup muttered.

**XxXxXxX**

Blossom walked briskly towards her history classroom. She had gotten lost just as she had left the lunch room and was already a few minutes late. She turned a sharp corner and felt her foot hook onto something. She crashed face first into the floor, her books and papers flying away from her. She heard a sniggering laugh and turned to see the capped boy from her chemistry class.

"Hey! What is your problem?" she asked, gathering her papers.

"Problem? There's no problem," the boy said. "I just like tripping people."

"Well you shouldn't!" she snapped, standing upright and holding her head high in the air to mask her embarrassment.

"Why? Because it's mean?" he asked sarcastically. "Toughen up, sweet-cakes; it's a big bad world out there."

"It's only bad because of jerks like you," she huffed, turning around and beginning to stalk towards her classroom. "And my name is Blossom, not _sweet-cakes_."

"Hey, hey, Blossom, wait up," he called. She heard the sound of his sneakers squeak against the floor as he hurried over to her.

"What?" she asked angrily, turning sharply to glare at him.

"I just wanted to tell you that-" he paused and grabbed her books from her arms, throwing them down the hall "-you're going to be late for class. And the name's Brick, not jerk." He laughed wickedly and jogged down the hall.

She growled with frustration and picked up her books, regretting her promise to the Professor that she wouldn't use her powers in school. When she had finally gathered all of them, she hurried to her history lesson.

"I'm sorry I'm late, ma'am, there was this really annoying-"

"No excuses!" the history teacher snapped glaring at Blossom. "You're twenty minutes late! That constitutes to an afterschool detention!"

'_Just what I needed.'_

**XxXxXxX**

Bubbles walked to the drama room, still thinking about what had happened at lunch. She hated how her sisters laughed at her ditzy moments. It had been alright when they were little, but now she felt patronised. Just because she wasn't as smart as Blossom or as tough as Buttercup didn't mean that she was any less of a person...did it? She supposed she just felt guilty. Guilty for having such a good morning when her sisters were obviously having trouble with some of the guys in their class. But it still wasn't any excuse for them to patronise her to make them feel better.

"Hey, Bubbles!"

The call brought her out of her ponder, and she turned around to see the boy from her art class walking over. "Hey," she said, pushing her bad mood to the back of her mind and smiling at him. "You remembered my name."

"Yeah, I don't know many girls named Bubbles so it kinda stuck in my head," he said.

"You know, you never told me your name," she said. 

"Didn't I?" the boy asked, looking shocked. "Oh, well I'm Boomer."

"Boomer," she repeated. "It sounds familiar."

"I used to be in the papers when I was little," he admitted, looking down at his feet and his smile vanishing. "But that was a long time ago."

"Why were you in the papers?" Bubbles asked.

"It's nothing now, but back then... well, it's nothing," he said. "How's your day been so far?"

"Art was fun, but lunch was pretty lame," she said. He looked questioningly at her and she sighed. "It's just my sisters. They don't take me seriously and they laugh when I say stupid things," she said, scuffing her feet on the floor.

"I know what you mean," Boomer said. "My brother punches me whenever I say something stupid."

"He punches you?" Bubbles asked, her eyes widening in shock. 

"It's nothing really," he said, waving the issue away with one hand.

'_Is he always so secretive?'_ she wondered. _'He seems to dismiss every question I ask. Still, I guess having a secretive friend is better than having no friends at all.'_

**XxXxXxX**

"The English language is one of great beauty. A simple sentence can be broken down and examined into great detail. Adjectives, nouns and verbs are things of the past. In senior English we will be covering the discourses and significance of words when placed into context. How marvellous it will be..."

Buttercup groaned quietly. There didn't seem to be an end to her English teacher's dull drone. She rocked back in her chair and chewed on the end of her pencil, examining the crude picture she had drawn of a monster eating that skinny kid from gym class. She, unlike Bubbles, wasn't an artist and she knew that her drawing was somewhat worse than that of a six year old's, but it made her feel better all the same.

What didn't make her feel better was the fact that the skinny kid was also in her English class. He sat a few rows in front of her, scratching something into the desk's surface. She glared at the back of his head, frustrated by the fact that she wasn't allowed to melt him here and now.

After what felt like forever the bell rung. The teacher looked startled, as though thinking his speech had only been going on for five minutes. "Uh... class dismissed," he said.

Buttercup rose to her feet and followed the skinny kid out of the classroom. She tapped him on the shoulder and he turned to glare at her.

"What do _you_ want?" he asked, looking her up and down with venom in his eyes.

"A rematch," she said.

"No way," he said. "I don't do rematches."

"Why? Afraid to lose?" she asked.

"It's just a waste of time," he said. "I'd only beat you again."

"Prove it," she said. 

The boy looked her up and down again, loathing in his eyes. "Do I know you from somewhere?" he asked.

"Doubtful, I don't come from around here," she said. "Now are you going to arm wrestle me or not?"

"Look, if you're that desperate to get beaten just sign up at a bondage class," he said, snorting at his own joke. "I don't do rematches." He turned on his heel and stalked down the hall, leaving a fuming Buttercup behind him.

"What's that guy's name?" she asked a random student who had stopped to watch the confrontation.

"Oh, that's just Butch. Don't let him get you down – he and his brothers a pretty bad news."

'_Well Butch better watch his step from now own,'_ she thought angrily.

**XxXxXxX**

Bubbles and Buttercup waited in silence at the place they had agreed to meet up at after school. Blossom was still nowhere in sight and it was getting pretty late.

"Do you think something terrible could have happened to her?" Bubbles asked nervously.

"The scumbag probably flew home without us," Buttercup muttered, pacing impatiently. "We might as well go home already. I have a ton of homework to do."

"Blossom wouldn't leave us like that," Bubbles said defensively. "She probably got caught up by something."

"Probably her reflection," Buttercup grumbled.

It was true that Blossom did spend more time in front of the bathroom mirror that her two sisters combined, but Bubbles didn't laugh at the joke. She was too anxious to find anything funny. It wasn't like Blossom to be late for anything.

After nearly an hour of waiting Blossom finally showed up, looking annoyed and upset. "Sorry girls," she said, looking at her feet. "I got a _detention_."

"No way," Buttercup exclaimed. "You never get detentions! What happened?"

"It was that loser – Brick! He made me late for history and the teacher's as old fashioned as the civilisations she talks about. She didn't even hear me out!"

"Bummer," Bubbles said.

"As much as I'd love to chat about it now, I think the Professor might be getting worried," Blossom sighed. "Let's go home."

And with three colourful flashes, they were gone.

**XxXxXxX**

Later that night the girls were seated at the dinner table, eating chicken and boiled vegetables. Professor Utonium watched them as they ate silently. They had already explained their late return home, and were now brooding about something. He had already eaten, but had chosen to sit at the table with them in case they felt like talking about their day. After a few minutes of unbearable silence he decided to start a conversation.

"So Blossom, how did you find your classes?" he asked.

"Well, we're covering pretty easy stuff," she said, moving a piece of broccoli around her plate as she talked. "But I keep getting distracted by this really annoying guy next to me." She stabbed the broccoli angrily as she said this and ate it quietly.

"Oh..." the Professor said.

"He's the one who made me get a detention," she added once she had swallowed. "He acts so superior to everyone, but I bet he's as dumb as his name – Brick!"

"Brick?" the Professor asked. He had heard that name before, but he couldn't remember where from.

"That's nothing, I've got to deal with this arrogant little prick named Butch," Buttercup grumbled, her mouth half full of chewed up carrots. "He's already titled himself the undefeated champion after only one day at school. I'm going to give him an ass whooping to last a lifetime."

"Buttercup," Professor Utonium scolded. "What your language at the table." Buttercup rolled her eyes and continued to eat.

'_Butch – that's another familiar name,'_ Professor Utonium thought. He looked at Bubbles who was being a lot quieter than her usual self. "How was your day, Bubbles?" he questioned.

Bubbles looked up and smiled. "Oh... fun," she said simply. "I met this really nice guy called Boomer – "

'_Boomer, I'm sure I've heard that name before too.'_

"–he's in my art and drama classes. He doesn't tell me much about himself, but he's nice anyway."

"He's probably after you for your looks," Blossom warned.

"Oh shut-up," Bubbles said, punching her sister playfully and obviously mistaking the warning for a compliment. "Anyway he's not like that."

"All guys are like that with blondes," Buttercup mumbled. "Don't you learn _anything_ from TV?"

The girls began a debate about whether they could trust what was said on the TV, but the Professor had tuned out.

'_Brick, Butch and Boomer. Where have I heard those names before? It was such a long time ago, I can't pinpoint their names to faces. Maybe I should look through some files and see what I come up with. I'd better not tell the girls, I wouldn't want them worrying. Still, maybe I should–'_

"What do you think Professor?"

Professor Utonium jumped and looked around. The girls were staring at him with questioning eyes. "Oh, I... uh, I agree with Blossom," he said, falling back on the answer he always gave when the question was unknown.

Blossom puffed her chest out in pride and held her head high. Buttercup and Bubbles sunk into their chairs and continued to eat silently beside their intellectual sister.

'_Phew. That was a close one. I better start paying more attention to what they say.'_

**XxXxXxX**

_A/N: Oh no! Not the Rowdyruff Boys! Who would have guessed? I just hope you readers don't think that this will be a whole bunch of fluff to stuff a pillow with. Even more, I hope that I don't make it a whole bunch of fluff for you to stuff your pillows with. Also, for those who are unsure of what 'shop' class is, it's basically just a class where you do woodworks and build cupboards and stuff. Fun, fun, fun. And a big thanks to both reviewers! I love you guys._


	3. Cheerleading Tryouts

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything affiliated with PPG. PPG is owned by Cartoon Network. I do however own this story and would very much appreciate it if it no one plagiarised it. Thank-you._

**XxXxXxX**

**Chapter Three**

The next few days as school weren't any easier for the girls. Even Bubbles, who was taking the 'easy' subjects, found it hard to get her homework done on time. She and Boomer had become close friends, and she often vented her worries out to him. She felt a bit silly, confiding almost everything to him when he kept so many secrets from her, but ignored the feeling.

She was walking to her basic maths class with him when a notice pinned up on a large board caught her attention. She stopped to read it, and Boomer stopped beside her, following her gaze to the brightly coloured poster.

_Cheerleading Tryouts! If you think you're worthy to represent the school then meet us at the football field during lunch. Only six students will make it on the team!_

"Cheerleading," she mumbled softly to herself.

"Are you thinking of trying out?" Boomer asked.

"Maybe," she said. She had never really considered joining a cheerleading squad before, but then again the opportunity had never arisen. "I mean, I am good at gymnastics so it couldn't hurt..."

"Unless you fell from the top of the pyramid," Boomer piped in and she smiled.

"Yeah, but I won't fall from the top of the pyramid," she said. "If I tried out would you come and watch?"

"Sure," he said. "If that's what you want."

"Yeah, I could use the moral support."

**XxXxXxX**

Blossom brushed a few stray hairs off her face, tucking them neatly behind her ear as she walked towards her locker. She was determined not to be too early to class anymore, so she had begun taking quick tours around the school before gathering her books. She reached her locker and spun her combination into the lock. As soon as she had swung the door open, one hundred or so small pieces of paper flew out and to her feet. She gasped and stepped back, watching as the last of the papers fluttered to the floor.

"What...?" was all she managed to say.

She bent down and picked up a handful of the papers. Each had different phrases on them, ranging from 'Boss 'em, Blossom' to 'Bossy Blossy'. From behind her she heard a familiar and unwelcome snicker. She spun around, her face bright red – this time from anger, rather than embarrassment – and glared at Brick.

"What is your problem?" she shouted, causing a few heads to turn.

"Don't you like my notes?" Brick asked, pouting and walking towards her with his hands buried deep in his pockets. "I made them just for you."

"Clean this up," she said, her voice shaking with rage as she pointed to the paper around her.

"Listen, sweet-cakes–"

"It's Blossom!"

He raised his hands in a mock surrender. "Obviously someone didn't get their eight hours," he said with a crooked grin. "Although it kinda shows that you don't get any beauty sleep."

"Just clean this up!" she repeated angrily. Her hands had clenched into tight fists and her mouth had become a thin white line.

"No," he said bluntly, his smile disappearing.

They stood in silence, glaring at each other. They only stopped when the tardy bell rang.

"Well, I'll see you in chemistry," he said, and began to walk off.

Blossom reached out and grabbed his arm. "Wait," she said, all anger gone from her voice and instead replaced with desperation. "Can you please just help me clean it up?"

He examined her face, his eyes showing no sign of emotion whatsoever. "I said no," he finally said, pulling his arm free of her and walking away.

She watched him walk away, anger boiling up inside her once again. She then looked back down to the papers on the floor. Everyone had made it to their classrooms by now, leaving her alone.

'_At least that's one advantage to being late,'_ she thought as she began gathering the papers with super speed. _'No one can see me using my powers.'_

**XxXxXxX**

"Shop is a very dangerous class and it is important for you all to know how to use the equipment in a safe manner–"

'_Look at that dick, Butch...'_

"–if you have acquired an injury, this is where the first aid is located–"

'_So arrogant and self conceited...'_

"–if a person around you has acquired an injury you must report to me immediately–"

'_God I hate him!'_

"Miss Buttercup, is there a problem?"

Buttercup jumped and looked to the front of the classroom. The shop teacher was staring at her impatiently, tapping his foot with his hands placed firmly on his hips.

"Uh... no sir," she said.

"Should I continue the lesson or would you like to stare at the back of Mr. Butch's head for a few more minutes?"

Butch turned in his chair to smirk at Buttercup and she scowled. "Continue the lesson, sir," she mumbled.

"Very well," the teacher said, before turning to his bench and picking up an electric drill. "Now, this is a very dangerous tool indeed, and you must be careful with it–"

Butch blew her a silent kiss before turning around to face the front again and she gritted her teeth.

'_Great, now everyone thinks I'm in love with him!'_

The lesson passed slowly and Buttercup's mood didn't improve. She had been working with power tools since before she could remember and found the teacher's dull monotone voice unbearable to listen too. That combined with Butch sitting directly in front of her was almost enough to make time slow to a stop. It seemed like hours (though in reality it was probably only forty minutes) before the ring of the lunch bell interrupted the teacher mid-sentence. She stood up and slung her bag over her shoulder heading for the door. She had only just left the shop classroom when she felt an arm sling over her shoulder.

"I know I'm irresistible," Butch said, examining his nails cockily. "I just feel bad that I'm distracting you so much in class."

Buttercup angrily shrugged his arm off her and turned to face him. "The only reason you're distracting is because you're so damn ugly," she hissed through clenched teeth. "You're lucky I don't kick your ass right now!"

"I'd watch my mouth if I were you," he spat back. "I don't have a problem with hitting girls."

"So you can hit a girl but you can't give her a stinking rematch?" she asked indignantly. "Well I say we settle this after school. A proper fight this time."

"You're on," he said. "Just don't think I'm gonna go easy on you."

They glared at each other for a few more seconds before turning and marching away. Buttercup had never agreed to fight a fellow student before, but this guy was practically begging for an ass-kicking. Revenge was going to be sweet.

**XxXxXxX**

Bubbles stood nervously on the football field as the rules of the tryout were being explained. She could see Blossom and Boomer on the stands, but Buttercup hadn't shown up. She had half expected it though, Buttercup loathed cheerleading.

"Okay, just remember to have fun and give it your best shot," the head cheerleader, Cecilia, was saying. "Let's start off with... Michelle Graywood."

Bubbles and the other students who had shown up quickly moved aside to make space for Michelle to do her routine. It involved a lot of cartwheels, splits and jumps – stuff Bubbles was could easily do blindfolded.

The cheerleaders wrote down a score for Michelle before Cecilia stood up again. "Now can we see... Bubble's Utonium?"

Bubbles took a deep breath before walking onto the empty section of the field. She preformed her routine, trying hard to get her cartwheels and back flips as close to perfection as she could. When she had finished Blossom applauded politely and Boomer shouted out: "Yeah! Go Bubbles!"

The other contestants preformed their routines as well, and Bubbles could feel herself getting more and more nervous and excited as she watched them. Everyone seemed good, but Bubbles knew that four of the ten people trying out would have their dreams shattered. She just hoped it wasn't hers.

"Now that we've seen your routines we just want to know why you all deserve to be in the team and what 'team spirit' means to you," Cecilia said.

One by one the contestants stepped forwards and talked for a minute about the topic. The common things were said: "I have a great outlook on life!" "I'm fun-loving and energetic!" "Team spirit means always trying your hardest for your friends!"

By the time it was Bubbles' turn her hands were shaking. She didn't know what to say, and for a few moments all she could do was open and close her mouth silently. She looked over to Blossom who gave her the thumbs up, and managed to find her voice.

"Hi, my name is Bubbles and I've always had a passion for dancing and gymnastics. I've never been a cheerleader before, but I'm eager to contribute ideas for the team. I take orders really well and I'm also a really good listener. I think that 'team spirit' isn't just about being in a team and trying your hardest, it's about having fun while you do it. I reckon that everyone here would make a good cheerleader, but if I was on the team I know I'd try my hardest to be a great one!"

She didn't know where the words had come from, but she had said them and by the smiles on Blossom and Boomer's faces she could tell that they had been good ones. She stepped back into the line and Cecilia stood up.

"Okay, thank you all for trying out. It'll be a tough decision, but I guarantee that you will all know by the end of the week. Until then try hard at school!"

The group segregated and Bubbles made her way over to Blossom and Boomer who were both beaming.

"Bubbles, that was great, you really knocked 'em down," Boomer said, patting her on the shoulder as she giggled and blushed.

"I'm so proud of you," Blossom said. "If you don't get on the team I'll be really surprised."

"Ugh, don't get my hopes up," Bubbles said, attempting to be modest in her time of pride. Secretly, she too would be shocked if she didn't make it onto the team, but didn't want to get her own hopes up by admitting it to herself or anyone else.

They walked back to the school building and Boomer explained that he had to go and meet his brothers. Blossom and Bubbles walked towards their lockers together, not really talking, but basking in the joy they so rarely felt anymore. Their smiles were quickly wiped off their faces, however, when they reached the lockers to see multiple signs posted on each locker door, each saying the same thing.

_Come one, come all to the car park this afternoon to witness the undefeated champ – Butch – take on the tough tomboy – Buttercup – in the fight of a lifetime! Be there or be square!!_

**XxXxXxX**

_A/N: Sorry for the slow update. Blame my brat of a brother who thought it would be hilarious to delete all of my PPG fics as a pre-April Fool's joke. Oh well, it's re-written and eager for reviews. And a big thanks to the many many people who have reviewed in this long break between updates._


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